The Journal of Cognition and Culture (Brill) is hosting a special issue (edited by Dr Michal Fux, Northeastern University) on the role of cognitive science in nationalistic thought and behaviour (CSNB). Spurred by the rise in popularity of nation-based separatist movements following an era of a steady move toward globalization, the editing team is interested in filling a surprising scholarly gap by establishing a wide explanatory framework / cognitive model for CSNB thoroughly integrated with what is known about human cognition and its evolution.

We invite submissions, empirical and theoretical, from scientists who resonate with this approach and have been studying a cognitive mechanism/system/theory related to aspects of nationalistic thought and behaviors, such as (but not limited to)-  symbols (e.g. flags, anthems), shared narratives or myths of common ancestry, preoccupations with “stranger-danger”, claims to land, appeal to socially constructed categories (e.g. religion/ethnicity/race), and boundary demarcating idioms such as “Motherland” “Homeland” or “The Country”.

Successful submissions will make strong links between cognition and nationalism, even if their data (in the case of empirical papers) was not collected for that purpose, the theoretical link should be clear and compelling. Ultimately, this special issue is meant to foster a network of researchers who, together, will be instrumental in specifying a Standard Model and, eventually, illuminate the motivations behind participation in nationalistic movements.

Manuscript Submissions

Interested contributors should submit a 750-word proposal (PDF, Word, or Google Doc) to m.fux@northeastern.edu. Evaluation of proposals will start on May 1st, 2019 on a rolling basis; early submissions are encouraged. Dr Fux will send out invitations for full manuscripts. Final manuscripts will be due on September 1st, 2019.